selfishly
adverb
self·ish·ly
ˈsel-fish-lē 
: in a selfish way
acting/behaving selfishly
… he selfishly hogged attention for his injury …—
Louise Erdrich
Louise ErdrichHe finds support for his intuition from game theory, which says that if everyone in a game acts selfishly, everyone suffers.—Gina Kolata
Gina KolataExamples of selfishly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The intention is not always selfishly negative.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Economists often refer to such situations as a prisoner’s dilemma, in which individuals, businesses, or countries could theoretically benefit from coöperating with one another but also have, or are presented with, incentives to act selfishly and cut their own deals.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Happy for her but selfishly sad.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Studies show that individuals who act selfishly tend to experience less happiness and greater emotional instability.
—Russell P. Reeder, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfishly
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Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
Economists often refer to such situations as a prisoner’s dilemma, in which individuals, businesses, or countries could theoretically benefit from coöperating with one another but also have, or are presented with, incentives to act selfishly and cut their own deals.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Happy for her but selfishly sad.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Studies show that individuals who act selfishly tend to experience less happiness and greater emotional instability.
—Russell P. Reeder, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for selfishly
Cite this Entry
“Selfishly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfishly. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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